11 Muslims Arrested in Sittwe Within Four Days

Local sources report that the Military Council forces arrested a total of 11 Muslim residents, including three women and eight men, across several villages in Sittwe Township between May 1 and May 5.

The arrests targeted individuals from the communities of Thek Kae Pyin, Doe Pyin Taung, Thandawli, and Hla Than Chay as regional instability continues to mount.

The wave of detentions included identified individuals Abdu Mamu (35), Zaw Lain (42), Baira (52), Eilyari (27), Enu (37), Maung Maung, and Maung Bu Chay (also known as Zaw Mae), along with three unidentified women and one additional man.

The most recent incident occurred on the night of May 4, when the Military Affairs Security unit (Sa-Ya-Pha) entered Thek Kae Pyin village to take 35-year-old Abdu Maung Maung into custody.

The crackdown involved targeted operations at transit points and residential areas, including the May 3 arrest of Thandawli resident Zaw Lain at Sittwe Airport upon his arrival from Yangon, and the seizure of Maung Bu Chay from Hla Than Chay village.

Earlier, on May 2, a large-scale deployment involving eight military vehicles entered Thek Kae Pyin village, where security forces arrested Maung Maung without citing a specific cause or warrant.

Further arrests on May 4 saw Baira, Eilyari, and Chokar Ma from Doe Pyin Taung village detained under what locals describe as fabricated allegations of human trafficking. On that same day, Enu from Thek Kae Pyin and three women from the Mo Thi Nya displacement camp were taken into custody following household inspections, with authorities claiming the residents possessed insufficient identification documents.

As military tensions escalate in the Rakhine State capital, residents report that these arbitrary arrests of Muslim villagers have become increasingly frequent. Local accounts further allege that the Military Council is transporting detainees to interrogation centers and subsequently demanding large sums of money from families in exchange for their release.